The "Golden Rule" of Scheduling

"I'm free in 30 minutes...so surely everyone else is too...right???"- Nearly every PM I have worked with to date

Slow it down please

I'm really not sure why this is such a pervasive habit.  The field of Technical Program/Project Manager (TPM) is naturally a world populated by geeks.  Geeks tend to be more introverted than most and maybe even get used to the instant gratification of their computer doing most everything they ask without delay.  But they are still people and still get irritated when you suddenly interrupt their day.  I can understand a new guy being told to go schedule something and just building something up without checking with others.  But the seasoned folks should theoretically have already been burned enough by others to remember courtesy.  Sadly, this is not the case.

Before any TPM puts a single date on any schedule they need to ask some basic questions:

1. Do I control everyone who needs to participate?
2. Is my project the only thing they are focused on?
3. Is my project their top priority?
4. Do I have visibility of everyone's calendars?
5. Is it possible that some people don't keep their schedules accurate?
6. Can this event succeed if random participants can't attend?

If you answered "No" to even one of those questions, it's time to slow down.  Not everyone realizes that you are the center of their universe.  Taking just a few minutes to make others feel like they are more important than you are goes a long way.  And in the rare case where you are working with folks who actually are more important than you (boss, customer, spouse, etc), then this is even more useful.  Simply send out a request to find out when the team has time available for what you are trying to do.  This can be as simple as a conference call or something more complex like scheduling staff or equipment time.  You can be extra careful and also ask for alternate times so you don't have to repeat emails every time one person has a conflict.  This may feel like it is slowing you down, but it is way less disruptive than botched meetings.  It is also less painful than getting chewed out by a customer or supervisor who felt like you showed a lack of respect for their time. 

Speed it up please

Sometimes emergencies happen.  We have all been there.  Decisions have to be made right away and next Tuesday is not going to cut it.  It is still OK to slow down and ask for available times.  Simply communicate the urgency in your request and let the team know that the meeting will happen with or without full participation.  In these scenarios, it is usually best to follow up your email with immediate phone calls.  Just because you live and die by email and the schedule doesn't mean the whole team does.  Phone calls will catch everything from the Engineer who is in the zone to the executive who is stuck in a critical meeting (aka golfing).

A little courtesy to others will go a long way to keeping your schedule and your sanity intact.